Finding a Future
by AceTrainerBlaziken
Summary: After being taken on as a new Gym Trainer under Falkner in Violet City, Leah soon realises that she is getting stronger than the Gym Leader himself. She tells him how she feels and he agrees that she should progress with her life, and ends up in Unova, founding a school for wanna-be Gym Leaders and Gym Trainers.
1. Chapter 1

**_Chapter One: School and 'Sprouts_**

**_This story is about a Trainer named Leah, who grew up in Ecruteak City. Leah got two Pokemon as a present from her dad for her thirteenth birthday, and set out on a journey to make a life for herself and her Pokemon. _**

I was stood in front of the Gym, a place where I hoped that I could start my future, and took a deep breath. I had jumped at the opportunity to become a Gym Trainer, and had made the short, but tiring, journey from Azalea, where I was staying, to Violet City. I thought back to when I had begun my journey, around two months ago, in Ecruteak, where my family lived. Had been given my two Pokemon as birthday presents from my dad, and had instantly fallen in love with the beautiful little creatures. I remembered how I had trained them around my hometown before setting out on a journey to make a future for myself. I had hoped that I could find a job in Goldenrod, but both my Pokemon were afraid of the glaringly bright lights of the big city. Azalea was a country town, which my Pokemon preferred, but there wasn't much going on, and no hope of bringing in any money whatsoever. And besides, the Slowpoke didn't seem to like me at all. So when I saw the poster about becoming a Trainer at Violet City Gym, it felt like a sign. I guess some people might have called it destiny, but I didn't really believe in that kind of stuff.

So here I was, stood in front of Violet City Gym, with my two Pokemon, Drifter and Blue stood beside me. Drifter was my male Drifloon, who was hyperactive and naughty, but also caring and loyal. Blue was my beautiful female Swablu. She was intelligent and thoughtful, and obeyed everything I said, in and out of battle. They were my best friends, most loyal companions and my trusted allies as well. Someone tapping on my shoulder awaked me from my daydreams of becoming a Gym Trainer. I turned around to see a large man with dark locks giving me a toothy smile.

"You challenged Gym Leader?" he asked. I shook my head, wondering what the man wanted. I could detect a French accent, which made me even more confused as to who he was. "Well, you come with Earl then! To the Trainers' School!" he grabbed my hand and led me across the city to building. "Trainers' School! Learn you must, and beat Gym Leader you will!" Earl said, pointing one fat finger to the door. I went inside, and all around me people were studying. Two children were trading excitedly. I stared around me in awe. I had never seen a school for Trainers. Earl went to the front of the classroom and sat behind a desk. It suddenly clicked. He was the teacher! The students all stopped talking as he tapped the board with a long ruler, and looked up at him with wide eyes. I hurriedly found an empty desk and sat down, quickly calling Blue and Drifter back into their Poke Balls with two clicks.

Earl began to teach. His lesson was about status conditions, such as frozen, burnt, paralyzed and asleep. I took notes in the small notebook I carried with me everywhere, and wrote down what types of moves could inflict status conditions, what moves could heal them, what abilities could causes and heal them, and what items to use if any of my Pokemon ever get inflicted with one. After the lesson finished, I thanked Earl for teaching me, and he encouraged me to battle the Gym Leader, saying I could win. I thanked him, even though that wasn't what I really wanted to do, and then went outside. I let Drifter and Blue out of their Poke Balls and they followed alongside me to the Poke Mart. I stocked up on all the items I had learned about, as well as some more Poke Balls and potions. The sun had begun to set as I headed for the Poke Centre. I went inside and booked a room for the night, knowing that the next day I would have to train rigorously with my Pokemon. Both of my Pokemon's eyes were drooping as we went upstairs to room 303, and they fell asleep almost immediately on the beds I had made for them out of extra pillows and blankets. I got changed and slipped under the covers as well, before drifting into a peaceful sleep.

The next day came, and an excitable Drifter woke me up. Once he could see that I was awake, he proceeded to bounce around in Blue's face. I left Blue and Drifter to play in the room for a while whilst I showered and got dressed. We went downstairs and I ordered a bowl of cereal and a glass of orange juice for me, and two bowls of Pokemon food for our breakfast. Nurse Joy brought it over to us, smiling brightly and petting Blue on the head. She shied away, blushing slightly, as Drifter nudged her in the back, wanting all the attention, as always. Nurse Joy laughed and patted his head as well, before returning to her position behind the counter.

After we had eaten, we headed out onto Route 31. It had a variety of Pokemon, including Rattata, Pidgey and Weedle, and Ledyba. It was a long morning of rushing back and forth between the Poke Centre and Route 31. I tried to conserve my precious supply of potions and status condition healers, because after looking at my funds I saw that they were lower than I expected. If I didn't get the job at the Gym then I'd have to go back to Ecruteak to live with my family. I didn't really want to go back to my hometown. As much as I'd enjoyed living there, it was nice to be independent. At noon, we went back to the Poke Centre for lunch. The morning's training had been worthwhile. Both of my Pokemon were on Level 13. Because they had learnt new moves, I wrote down their new move sets in my notebook. I was always organized, and writing things down helped me get my thoughts straight.

_**Drifter**_

_Constrict_

_Minimize_

_Astonish_

_Gust_

**_Blue_**

_Peck_

_Astonish_

_Sing_

_Fury Attack_

After I had written it down, I ordered lunch for the three of us. I was planning the rest of the day in my head. We would go to Sprout Tower to challenge the Elder, and hopefully Blue and Drifter would become stronger. I had heard that the Sages there only used Bellsprout, so it should be easy to win against them with Blue's Peck and Drifter's Gust attacks. However, I had overheard a Trainer on Route 31 talking about his battle with the Elder. Apparently he'd had a Pokemon that wasn't Bellsprout. I ate my lunch, pondering over what the other Pokemon could be.

After we had finished out lunch, I healed Blue and Drifter, and headed for Sprout Tower. It was eerie inside. The pillar in the middle swayed, which made both my Pokemon and me dizzy. There were lots of Pokemon hidden in the shadows, including Ghastly, but thankfully Blue and Drifter took them out easily. There were many Sages waiting for me to battle them, but they all had a few low-leveled Bellsprout, and the battles were short and one-sided. I reached the top floor quicker than I had expected, and before I knew it, Elder Li had challenged me to a battle. I sent out Drifter first, who took out Li's Bellsprout easily with a couple of Gust attacks. Then, to my surprise, Li sent out a Hoothoot. I had expected him to use another Grass-type Pokemon, perhaps a Hoppip. I had seen a few of the tiny pink Pokemon wandering around in the grass before I got to Violet City. I hadn't expected a Hoothoot though! I switched Drifter for Blue, and after Elder Li's Hoothoot had missed trying to make my Pokemon fall asleep with Hypnosis, Blue used Sing. It sent the Hoothoot into a deep sleep, which was my chance to attack. I had hesitated over using Sing at first, because some of the Hoothoot I fought on Route 31 had an ability called Insomina, which meant that they didn't fall asleep. I had learnt about it in the Trainers' School.

However, as the Hoothoot obviously didn't have the ability Insomina, Blue used Fury Attack. She kept hitting the Hoothoot. The owl Pokemon woke up, but it was too late to do anything as Blue took it out with another round of Fury Attacks. After the battle, Elder Li congratulated me, and gave me TM Flash as a prize for winning. I used the Escape Rope I had found in the Tower and was returned to the entrance. I rushed back to the Poke Centre as the sun dipped in the sky, and healed Blue and Drifter. They had both gained a level, but no new moves, since I stopped Drifter from learning Focus Energy when he leveled up.

We ate dinner, and then went up to room 303 to sleep. I searched through my bag for a while after Blue and Drifter had fallen asleep to find the poster that I had first seen in Azalea, which gave me all the information I needed to know about applying to become a Violet City Gym Trainer. I got changed, and pulled the covers over me, still clutching the glossy sheet of paper in my hands.


	2. Chapter 2

I woke up to the sound of rain, the poster on the floor beside my bed and Drifter and Blue both still asleep. I quietly got out of bed and grabbed my towel, shower gel and shampoo. I went into the en-suite and locked the door.

After a quick shower, I came back into the room, feeling fresh and prepared for the day ahead. I knew I needed to train a little more, as the interviews for being a Gym Trainer were the next day. I got dressed and then woke Drifter and Blue up. They were perky and full of energy, and ready for a morning of tough training. We went for breakfast downstairs before we headed out onto Route 32 to battle the Mareep and Ekans that had made there home in the tall grass there.

Mareep was Electric-type so Drifter and Blue's flying type moves did little damage on them. This was good practice for when young trainers would come to the Gym with Pokémon Flying-types were weak against. I would have to deal with all sorts of Pokémon if I got the position at Falkner's Gym. After a morning of rigorous training, my Pokémon had each gained two levels, meaning they were on Level 15. They hadn't learnt any new moves yet though. We went back to the Poke Centre for lunch before we headed out into Violet Cave for a little extra training.

In Violet Cave there were Geodudes, which a Rock-type Pokémon, another type that my two Flying-types were weak to. There were also Zubat in the cave, which annoyed me due to Supersonic, which kept confusing my Pokémon. Inside the cave, it was really dark, and so we only spent a short time training there. It was easier to train in the tall grass. By three 'o'clock, Blue and Drifter were tired from training. I decided to go back to the Trainer's School to see if Earl would give me any more tips before the interview tomorrow.

Earl told me that I should just do my best, and used Blue's Sing to my advantage. He said that battling wasn't just about all-out attacking the opponent – it was about crippling their Pokémon until it was almost impossible for them to battle or land an attack on my Pokémon. He said using Sing with Blue, and then switching to Drifter and using Minimize a few times was a great strategy. I thanked him for the advice, and then headed back to the Poke Centre for dinner.

Back in the room, Drifter and Blue fell asleep quickly, but I lay thinking about my dwindling cash and the interviews tomorrow. I knew that they would have to test my battling skills, but I didn't know what else to expect. I finally fell asleep, dreaming of training under Falkner in the Gym.

I woke up the next morning, and hurriedly showered and dressed. I woke Drifter and Blue up, and took them downstairs for breakfast, although I barely ate anything, due to nerves. Drifter, sensing something was wrong, tried to cheer me up, but I could only manage a small smile. After breakfast, Blue sat on my shoulder and Drifter floated alongside us as we headed for the Gym. Outside, there were lots of young Trainers already waiting. There were three boys and four girls. Two boys had Pidgeys, there eyes darting round nervously, and the other boy had a Ledyba. Two girls also had Pidgeys, but one had a Hoothoot and the other a small Hoppip.

They all turned to look at me as I walked to stand outside the Gym with them. I stood just outside the semicircle, feeling as though everyone was watching me. The boy in front of me with the Ledyba turned to face me. He had blonde hair that fell across his left eye, and piercing blue eyes.

"Hi, I'm Lucas. Nice Pokémon you got there," he said, offering me his hand. I shook it, and he smiled, revealing a row of perfect white teeth.

"I'm Leah," I replied, and gave a shy smile. Lucas nodded, then turned around as the doors of the Gym opened. A young man stepped outside. He had blue hair that would be considered long for a man, and was wearing all blue as well. Everyone stared at him in awe, but I just waited for him to speak.

"Welcome everyone. I'm Falkner, the Gym Leader here in Violet City. Today could be the start of a whole new career for one of you. Who that person is depends on your battling techniques, knowledge and, of course, personality," Falkner explained, his voice deep and meaningful. "If you aren't committed or dedicated enough, you may as well walk away now. No trainers in this Gym shall be half-hearted. All the trainers here put one hundred percent into every battle. Now, if you still want to train under me, come inside," Falkner finished. Everyone began to walk towards the doors, which Falkner held open.

Inside the Gym, there was a platform with a Pokeball printed on it. "Everyone, stand around this platform if you please," Falkner instructed, his voice echoing around the Gym. When everyone was stood around the platform, Falkner stepped onto it. There was a click, and then it shot upwards. A few people gasped, but I just watched and listened, ready for anything that came my way. There were voices coming from somewhere above us. Suddenly, the platform descended again, and Falkner and another boy were stood on it.

"This is Rod. He's been a Gym Trainer here since I took over this Gym. He's a formidable battler. Now, who would like to challenge him first?" Falkner asked, and Rod grinned. The girl with the Hoothoot stepped forward. "So, you will be the first challenger! What's your name?" Falkner asked her.

"Sara," she replied, her voice full of confidence. She took another step forward, and Rob did the same, gripping two Pokeballs in each hand. Sara's Hoothoot stood at her feet, spreading its brown wings proudly. They were obviously both confident about the battle.

"Great! Rob, your first challenger is Sara! Both give it your all!" Falkner cried, and Rob threw his first Pokeball. A Pidgey flew out, flapping its wings and squawking.

"Sand Attack!" Rob shouted, and the Pidgey kicked up dust from the ground, flinging it into the Hoothoot's eyes. It shook its head and flapped its wing furiously, whilst Rob's Pidgey stood still, waiting for it's next command.

"Hoothoot – Hypnosis!" Sara called, and the Hoothoot sent a strange yellow beam at the Pidgey, but narrowly missed the little bird. Sara sighed.

"Pidgey! Tackle!" Rob shouted, and the Pidgey lunged at Hoothoot, which fell to the floor squawking loudly. Sara gasped and ran over to her fallen Pokémon as Rob's Pidgey got back into the Pokeball.

"So, Rob wins! Remember, Rob is a strong battler! If you want to win, you're going to need to have a good strategy and have trained enough that your attacks make a good dent in his Pokémon's health!" Falkner explained. "Who's up next?" he asked. I immediately stepped forward, and Falkner smiled at me. Drifter and Blue both looked excited at the prospect of battling Rob. "Name?" Falkner asked me.

"Leah," I said, my voice shaking a little. Now that I was actually going to face Rob, I felt the nerves creeping back in. Falkner nodded to Rob, who sent another Pidgey out to face me first. "Blue, you're up first. Let's use the tactic Earl taught us," I whispered to my Pokémon. Blue flew forward and came to rest on the wooden floor. Rob grinned at me and signaled for me to make the first move. "Blue, use Sing!" I shouted, and Blue's beak opened wide. A haunting melody filled the room, and Rob's Pidgey's eyes began to close. In a matter of seconds, it was asleep on the wooden floor.

Rob tried to wake it up, but could not, and I pulled Blue back and sent Drifter out. I told him to use Minimize again and again before Rob's Pidgey woke up. Rob ordered it to use Tackle, but Drifter swiftly avoided it before I commanded him to use Constrict. Pidgey's feet were tangled in vines, and I knew each time it tried to make a move, it would be damaged until it escaped from them.

"Pidgey! Tackle!" Rob shouted, angry now. Pigdey lunged forward, and hit Drifter hard, but Drifter stayed afloat as Pidgey fell due to Constrict. I pulled Drifter in again and Blue flew out, ready for action. "Sand Attack!" Rob called, and his Pidgey kicked up the dust. Blue's eyes were filled with dust, but she carried on nevertheless.

"Fury Attack!" I shouted. Blue flew forward and began attacking the Pidgey, one hit after another until it collapsed on the floor. Rob immediately sent out his other Pidgey. "Fury Attack!" I repeated, and Blue also repeated the frenzied attack on our second opponent.

"Tackle!" Rob yelled, and his Pokémon flew at Blue and knocked her off her feet. She regained her balanced, then I ordered her to use Fury Attack once more, and within a matter of seconds, Rob's final Pokémon was in a crumpled heap on the floor. Blue and Drifter both came and hovered around me whilst Falkner helped Rob heal his Pokémon.

"And _that _ladies and gentlemen, is how you battle effectively!" Falkner shouted.


	3. Chapter 3

I looked around me at all the other Gym hopefuls. They were all staring at me, some in shock, others in admiration, and the girl named Sara in anger. A scowl was spread across her pale face. Falkner patted me on the shoulder and then gestured for me to go back and stand in the semicircle. I did so. I could feel Sara's anger as I stood next to her, her back to me, completely blanking me.

'_Well, it's not my fault I'm a better battler than you_,' I thought as Falkner walked over to Rob again. Falkner whispered something in his ear and Rob nodded.

"Okay ladies and gentlemen, I want you all to have a battle against Rob now. After you've finished, you can battle with each other. Rob will report back to me later," Falkner explained. I was a little annoyed that we had to watch everyone else battle Rob, but I sat down on the wooden floors like everyone else nevertheless as Rob called up the first challenger. Lucas stepped forward with his Ledyba. People were whispering and laughing – Ledyba was a Bug-type and easily taken out by Flying-type moves. What they didn't realize was that Rob's Pokémon didn't actually know any Flying-type moves anyway. This should be an interesting battle.

Just before the battle began, I felt someone tap on my shoulder. I looked around to see Falkner stood over me. He beckoned for me to come with him. I stood up and Drifter and Blue did so too, Blue coming to rest on my shoulder. Falkner walked in front of me, his pace quick, his electric-blue hair shimmering in the changing light. He led me around the circle as the battle began, Rob's Pidgey slamming Lucas' Ledyba with Tackle. The squawking from Pidgey rose above the sound of the shouting; it was a heated battle.

I didn't realize where we were going until Falkner stepped onto the platform, as he had done before.

"Step on, Leah," he told me. I smiled, pleased he had remembered my name, and then joined him on the platform. There was a click, and we shot up. I momentarily saw the other Trainers gaze up at us before we disappeared out of sight. At the top were numerous long planks of wood, forming a route to the Gym Leaders podium at the back. I gasped in awe. It was beautiful up here, the sunlight coming through the huge windows above us. It was the perfect place for Flying-type Pokémon. Drifter began to float upwards, attracted by the perfect blue sky and cotton clouds. Blue flew off my shoulder and started whizzing around, her high-pitched squawks echoing around the Gym. Falkner laughed as we watched my Pokémon.

"Is this a place where… You would like to train?" Falkner asked me. I looked up at him, his sapphire eyes met mine and I nodded. "Leah, I must admit you impressed me with your battle against Rob. He's been training at this Gym as long as I have, and for someone to beat him without using Electric- or Rock-types, is very rare. My only problem is-"

"Please, I'll do anything! I'll prove to you that I can cut it! Please Falkner!" I begged. I wanted to show him there wasn't a problem, I would, and could do anything he asked me to.

"Leah, let me finish," Falkner said. I apologized, before he continued, "My only problem is that I think you may be too strong."

"Wh-what?" I said, shocked. "You… think I'm too strong? For the Gym?" I asked, and Falkner nodded. "But I have to do this. I have no money. I need a job! I… I want to do this so much!" I said, almost crying now.

"Leah… I would love to have you train under me. Your Pokémon are amazing, and you have great technique and strategy when it comes to battling. You make is so the opponent can't hit you, whilst your attacks hit hard. But, this is the first Gym that any Trainer faces. It's their first challenge. Of course I'd love to have you train here, with Rob and me. But I think it would be you training me," Falkner explained. Not quite knowing what to say, I watched Drifter and Blue chase each other round the Gym. "Leah. I believe that you can get a lot stronger, and I think it would be great if you were to travel around the region and battle all the Pokémon Gyms. Who knows, you could go on to challenge the Elite Four even!" Falkner said, and grinned at me. I nodded, wiping the tears from my cheeks.

"Now, since this is the first Gym… Well, why don't we have a battle?" Falkner asked, an even wider grin spreading across his face.

"You're on!" I said, and followed him to the Gym podium. When we got there, Falkner pulled two Pokeballs out of his pockets.

"Now, I'll warn you, I'm stronger than Rob!" he shouted, throwing the Pokeball. A Pidgey popped out, squawking in the same fashion as Rob's had done before. Blue and Drifter were stood by my side, standing to attention.

"Blue! Go get 'em!" I cried, and Blue shot forward. "Sing!" I shouted, and Blue's haunting melody filled the Gym again. Falkner's Pidgey fell to the floor, his eyes drooping shut. "Peck!" I shouted, and Blue nipped at Pidgey's fallen body. "Again!" I shouted, as Falkner fumbled with a can of something. He sprayed it over Pidgey, and it awoke. I remembered Earl's lessons. It was an Awakening. After Blue's Pecks, the Pidgey was considerably weaker.

"Tackle!" Falkner shouted, and the Pidgey lunged at Blue, who flew out of the way, and then shot at full speed to Peck Pidgey again at my command. The Pidgey dropped to the floor. "Pidgeotto! Your turn!" Falkner yelled, throwing out another Pokeball. A larger bird-Pokémon flew out. "Tackle!" Falkner cried, and Pidgeotto swiped Blue out of the way with a swish of his wing.

"Blue! Get back! Your turn Drifter!" I commanded, and Blue flew back onto my shoulder as Drifter floated out to meet Pidgeotto. The Gym Leader ordered his Pokémon to Tackle. "Dodge him!" I cried, and Drifter hurriedly moved out of the way. "Minimize!" I shouted, and Drifter curled his body to make himself seem smaller, allowing him to dodge attacks and evade moves more easily.

"Tackle, Pidgeotto!" Falkner shouted, but the Pidgeotto missed Drifter and was flying so fast it couldn't stop itself from slamming into the back wall of the Gym.

"Drifter, Constrict!" I said, and Drifter wrapped vines around the Pidgeotto's feet. It fell over as it tried to break free. "Blue, get out here!" I yelled, and Drifter slowly floated back and Blue flew forward again. Earl had told me about Pidgeotto's signature move, Roost. I knew if Falkner had the chance to use it, I'd have to start again from scratch. Before he could make another move, I told Blue to use Sing, and Pidgeotto dropped to the floor, falling into a deep sleep.

Now was my chance. I told Blue to use Fury Attack over and over, until the Pidgeotto woke up. Blue attacked Pidgeotto over and over again as Falkner watched helplessly: he had no more Awakenings.

"It's over." Falkner said, defeated, as Blue landed the final blow to the still sleeping Pidgeotto. "You did very well, Leah. I'm proud of you. You deserve this badge," Falkner said, pulling a shiny Gym Badge from his pocket. I took it from him, and thanked him before putting it in my bag and calling Blue and Drifter over to be healed.

"You're an amazing Gym Leader, Falkner," I replied. He grinned again as he bent down to heal his wounded Pokémon. "Thanks for everything."

"Don't mention it. Just promise me one thing… Take on all the Gyms, and then challenge the Elite Four, ok? You're going to do great things, Leah, I know it.," Falkner told me. I promised that I would do my best. "Oh, here," Falkner said, handing me a silvery disk. "This is the TM for Roost. It might come in handy," he said, then added, "Unless you get put to sleep by a Swablu, that is." We both laughed, and then Falkner hugged me. Not quite knowing what to do, I just waited for it to end, feeling awkward. "Leah, you remind me of someone…"

"Who?" I asked.

"My daughter," he replied, and then drew away from the hug. I felt relieved to be free from the awkward embrace. "She challenged me around two years ago… And beat me easily. I told her the exact same thing I told you. Go challenge the Gyms, then the Elite Four. She went on her journey two years ago… I haven't heard from her since," Falkner explained. A tear was falling down his cheek. "If… If you could, would you look for her on your journey, Leah? Her name is Karen. She always favoured Dark-types over Flying types, which didn't exactly please me, but each to there own. If you meet her on your travels, please give her my love," Falkner said. I was almost crying myself at his sad story, and he brushed the tears from his eyes and cheeks.

"Of course, Falkner," I promised. Falkner gave me a small smile. All his previous grinning and laughing had disappeared.

"Remember to come back and see me sometimes as well, Leah. I'd like to see how strong you get," Falkner said.

"Sure," I replied.


End file.
